Salon Told Job Posting Requesting “only happy, friendly stylists” Discriminatory

I cannot even with this story! Alison Birch is looking for a hair stylist for her salon. She put in the job advertisement that “only happy, friendly stylists need apply.”

She was told by the job center the ad was discriminatory!

A hair salon says it was told by a job center it couldn’t run an advertisement recruiting a “happy” stylist because the word is “discriminatory” against unhappy people.

Alison Birch listed a job ad looking for a part-time qualified hairdresser at her AJ’s Unisex Hair Salon in Stroud, England,.

The position called for someone with five years’ experience of working in a salon, who is “confident in barbering as well as all aspects of hairdressing.”

And the advertisement stated, “This is a busy, friendly, small salon, so only happy, friendly stylists need apply.”

But on Wednesday, Birch says she received a call from her local job center informing her they could not run her ad because the word “happy” is considered “discriminatory.”

Birch claims the job center told her that the advertisement may make some people feel they cannot apply if they do not consider themselves to be a “happy” person.

I don’t recall grumps, mopes, or those suffering from RBF being any of the groups of people protected from employment discrimination. This happened in England, but their laws are similar to the US.

Here is what the law says, per the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC):

Applicants, employees and former employees are protected from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age (40 or older), disability and genetic information (including family medical history).

The law in the U.K. is, predictably, more broad. But I still don’t see unhappy people protected. 

It is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of:

• age

• gender reassignment

• being married or in a civil partnership

• being pregnant or on maternity leave

• disability

• race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin

• religion or belief

• sex

• sexual orientation

Nowhere in this list do I see that craba$$es cannot be discriminated against.

I don’t know about you, but I like my hairstylist to not only give me a good cut but also be friendly and social enough to sustain some chitchat while I’m in their chair. If they can’t do that, it is awkward and uncomfortable and I’m not likely to return to them.

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